Californians For Consumer Privacy Chair Alastair Mactaggart to Testify Before US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

October 10, 2018

CALIFORNIANS FOR CONSUMER PRIVACY CHAIR ALASTAIR MACTAGGART TO TESTIFY BEFORE UNITED STATES SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION

Ballot Measure Proponent Working to Expand Consumer Rights Nationwide

Washington, D.C. – Today, Chief Proponent of the California Consumer Privacy Act Alastair Mactaggart will testify before Congress to explain the fundamental rights given to California consumers the ground-breaking law he worked to pass through the state legislature this year (AB 375 Chau, Herztberg, Dodd). Mactaggart hopes to strengthen these laws with federal legislation that provides all consumers the rights granted to Californians through his legislation.

“While this law just covers California currently, large companies will soon have to offer similar rights to all Americans,” said Mactaggart. “How on earth are they going to tell a New Yorker or a Texan that what’s good for a California consumer is out of reach for another state’s residents? It’s time for these companies to provide transparency and choice to all consumers, and if Congress is considering a national law, then California’s must be the minimum standard.”

Mactaggart gathered 629,000 signatures to qualify his measure for the November ballot amid public outcry around Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica data breach. Upon seeing the overwhelming public support, the California Legislature enacted a more comprehensive version of Mactaggart’s ballot measure that was signed into law this summer by California Governor Jerry Brown.

Just last week, Facebook experienced the largest breach in the company’s history, which may have affected as many as 90 million users, opening the door once again to consumers demanding expanded rights nationally.

“The 5th largest economy in the world now has meaningful privacy protections for the first time in history,” Mactaggart added. “We will not only defend the historic gains we’ve made this year, but will continue our work to expand these rights to all consumers.”

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Paid for by Californians for Consumer Privacy. Committee major funding by Alastair Mactaggart.